1st new concourse opening at LaGuardia Airport

NEW YORK (AP) — A new concourse with 18 gates is opening this weekend at New York City’s LaGuardia Airport, part of a broader plan to modernize the dilapidated and oft-mocked facility.

The new gates come with additional dining and shopping options for passengers using LaGuardia. They are part of a broader $8 billion overhaul at the dilapidated facility that will add 72 new gates in six concourses, as well as two new arrival and departure halls.

Other planned improvements include rail service between LaGuardia and midtown Manhattan and 14 miles of new roadway connecting motorists to the facility.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo joined local officials in Queens Thursday for a ceremonial opening. The Democrat said the ongoing work will transform an aging, crowded and inefficient airport into a 21st-century facility “worthy of the state of New York.”